NPR 2009-07-17

Supreme¹ Court Justice nominee² Sonia Sotomayor has completed her testimony³ before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now legal experts, civil rights advocates and complainers from one of her former cases are before the panel. NPR's Audie Cornish reports.

The witnesses that got the most attention from the Senators were two New Haven⁴ firefighters, Frank Ricci and Ben Vargas who areamong a group of firefighters who fought their department's decision to throw out result from a job exam where no black scored high enough for promotion⁵ and an Appeals Court Panel that included Sotomayor issued a short judgment⁶ against them which was later overturned by the Supreme Court. Lieutenant⁷ Ben Vargas: "Of all that has been written about our case, it was Justice Alito who best captured our own feelings. We did not ask for sympathy or empathy. We asked only for even-handed enforcement of the law. And prior to the majority justice’s opinion, in our case, we were denied just that. "In earlier testimony, Sotomayor says the Appeals Court was bound by the precedent⁸ set in earlier decisions. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

Former Treasury⁹ Secretary Henry Paulson appeared before a congressional panel today where he defended his handling of the global financial crisis, but he came under a harsh questioning. Members of the House Oversight¹⁰ and Government Reform Committee were specially¹¹ focused on the government's role in Bank of America's merger¹² with Merrill Lynch, saying executives were bullied¹³ in the going ahead with that deal, but Paulson said that was not the case.

"Some have opined that I and other government officials allowed concerns about systemic risk to outweigh¹⁴ concerns about potential harm to Bank of America and shareholders¹⁵. That simply did not happen."

Paulson's efforts to convince Bank of America to go ahead with the deal even after discovering / large losses at Merrill came into light in April. Paulson said he believes his handling of the crisis including the Merrill Lynch deal was appropriate and helped save the nation from great peril¹⁶.

President Obama is using an appearance for embattled New Jersey¹⁷ Governor Jon Corzine to push his overhaul¹⁸ of the nation's healthcare system. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

President Obama was in New Jersey to help Governor Corzine, the only Democratic incumbent¹⁹ up for reelection next year. Corzine is trailing in the polls, but the popular president's visit helped get 56, 000 people out to a rally. The crowd held out signs that read "Obama and Corzine". The president told them to re-elect Corzine but also to push Congress to pass a healthcare overhaul.

"We have talked and talked and talked about fixing healthcare for decades, and we have finally reached the point, where inaction is no longer an option."

One Senate committee has already passed part of a healthcare overhaul, and the chairman of the key Senate Finance Committee says he's hoping to have a draft plan ready later today or tomorrow. Mara Liasson, NPR News with the President in New Jersey.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industry Average gained 95 points to end the session at 8,711. The NASDAQ Composite was up 22 points. The S&P 500 climbed eight points today.

This is NPR.

According to a key government oversight watchdog group, small aviation companies are falling under less safety oversight than large airlines, even though in some cases they are involved in riskier²⁰ operations. The report released by the Transportation Department's Inspector²¹ General contends the Federal Aviation Administration conducts far fewer safety inspections²² on the so-called "on-demand" operations, which are small, unscheduled flight with fewer than 30 passenger seats, than it does other operations. Report also accused the FAA of failing to target the inspections as it does do towards those operations with the greatest risk.

Chechnya's Kremlin-appointed president promises to investigate the murder of a prominent human right activist²³. Jessica Gallaher has details from Moscow.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov vowed²⁴ to personally oversee²⁵ the brazen²⁶ murder of top human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, who was gunned down in Grozny on Wednesday, shortly after being kidnapped. The news comes as Estemirova's colleagues and friends say that Kadyrov's own security forces are involved in her slaying²⁷. Kadyrov made the promise as the United States and the European Union condemned²⁸ the execution-style killing²⁹. Estemirova was deeply involved in chronicling rights abuses in Chechnya. She was killed on the same day as the release of a report she helped to research that concluded there was enough evidence to demand that Russian officials, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, be called to account for crimes committed on their watch. Violence in the North Caucasus has escalated³⁰ in the last few months. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Gallaher in Moscow.

The roof of a concert stage being built for Singer Madonna gave way in France, killing one worker and leaving nine others hurt. Officials in the France port city of Marseilles said the roof of the stadium where the stage was being set up fell on top of the workers.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

8 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

11 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

12 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

13 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

15 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

16 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

17 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

18 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

19 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

20 riskier   

冒险的，危险的( risky的比较级 )

参考例句：

• Now they are starting to demand higher returns on riskier assets. 而今他们开始在风险更高的资产上要求更高的回报。
• The problem with that: RIM's business is getting riskier every quarter. 不过问题也随之而来：RIM面临的业务风险正逐季增大。

21 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

22 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

24 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

25 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

26 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

27 slaying   

杀戮。

参考例句：

• The man mimed the slaying of an enemy. 此人比手划脚地表演砍死一个敌人的情况。
• He is suspected of having been an accomplice in the slaying,butthey can't pin it on him. 他有嫌疑曾参与该杀人案，但他们找不到证据来指控他。

28 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

29 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

30 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。